South Africa Covid variant symptoms and where is the strain in the UK? 2 Feb 2021, 11:00 Updated: 2 Feb 2021, 11:51 Invalid Date, DOOR-TO-DOOR Covid-19 testers are hitting several UK hotspots - after 11 Brits caught the South African strain without having travelled there. The variant was first found in the country in December and experts have warned that it can spread at a faster rate than other strains - but where has it been detected in the UK and how will you know if you have caught it? 5 Volunteers are briefed at Woking fire station as local authorities prepare to deploy Covid-19 testing kitsCredit: Getty Images - Getty